Four Reasons to Declare a College Major Now

Don’t have your college major yet? Welcome to the club. Plenty of students just like you go through the entire college application process without a clue as to what they want to study. But while most colleges don’t require you to declare a major until your sophomore or even junior year, you should still put some thought into potential areas of study before you step foot on campus. In fact, here are four reasons it might be a good idea to go ahead and choose a major right now:

1. Having a major can help you get in at competitive colleges.

Competitive colleges are inundated with applications from students who want to enter their most popular major programs. But if you declare a major that’s not as sought-after on campus, you might just set yourself apart from the masses and give yourself an edge getting in.

2. Having a major in mind can help you choose a college.

If you know even a general area of study, say, English or mathematics, that will help you eliminate a lot of colleges that don’t have strong programs in those areas. If you aren’t 100 percent sure about your major, think about what other options the colleges you’re considering offer in case you change your mind down the road.

3. Choosing a major early (and sticking with it) improves your chances of graduating on time.

For most majors, you’ll have to complete a number of prerequisites and required courses before you start taking upper-level classes. So if you want to graduate in four years, declare a major now and start knocking out those early classes right away.

4. You can always change your major.

If you don’t like your major, then change it. Your major isn’t written in stone. Transferring to a new program is typically easy if you change your mind. And since a lot of early prerequisite classes are the same for many majors, you may not lose much ground if you decide to change directions after a semester or two.

There’s no doubt choosing a college major is, well, a major decision. Yes, you should put serious thought into it and take time to consider your interests and long-term career goals. But at the end of the day, think of declaring a major as a chance to learn more about an area that interests you. And remember: The major you choose now is just a jumping off point for the great college experience you have ahead of you.

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